Showing papers in "Biochemistry in 1980"

New calcium indicators and buffers with high selectivity against magnesium and protons: design, synthesis, and properties of prototype structures.

Abstract: A new family of high-affinity buffers and optical indicators for Ca2+ is rationally designed and synthesized. The parent compound is 1,2-bis(o-aminophenoxy)ethane-N,N,N',N'-tetraacetic acid (BAPTA), a relative of the well-known chelator EGTA [ethylene glycol bis(beta-aminoethyl ether)-N,N,N',N'-tetraacetic acid] in which methylene links between oxygen and nitrogen are replaced by benzene rings. BAPTA and its derivatives share the high (greater than 10(5)) selectivity for Ca2+ over Mg2+ of EGTA but are very much less affected by pH changes and are faster at taking up and releasing Ca2+. The affinity of the parent compound for Ca2+ (dissociation constant 1.1 x 10(-7) M in 0.1 M KCl) may be strengthened or weakened by electron-releasing or -withdrawing substituents on the aromatic rings. The Ca2+ and Mg2+ affinities may further be altered by replacing the ether oxygens by heterocyclic nitrogen atoms. The compounds described are fluorescent Ca2+ indicators absorbing in the ultraviolet region; the very large spectral shifts observed on binding Ca2+ fit the prediction that complexation should hinder the conjugation of the nitrogen lone-pair electrons with the aromatic rings. Derivatives with quinoline nuclei are notable for their high sensitivity of fluorescent quantum yield to the binding of Ca2+ but not of Mg2+. Preliminary biological tests have so far revealed little or no binding to membranes or toxic effects following intracellular microinjection.

Solvent viscosity and protein dynamics

Abstract: Proteins are dynamic systems. Recent evidence demonstrates that they exist in a large number of conformational substates and can continuously move from one substate to another; motion of a small ligand inside a protein may be possible only through these conformational fluctuations. To test this idea, we study with flash photolysis the binding of CO to protoheme and O2 and CO to myoglobin in many different solvents. The standard evaluation of such experiments yields information only about the protein-solvent system. A novel approach is presented which permits conclusions concerning the protein: Data from all solvents are considered together, and the rates for transitions of the ligand over various barriers are studied as a function of temperature for fixed solvent viscosities. Results show that over a wide range in viscosity the transition rates in heme-CO are inversely proportional to the solvent viscosity and can consequently be described by the Kramers equation. The rates of O2 and CO in myoglobin also depend on the solvent viscosity and are most sensitive to the solvent at the lowest viscosity. Viscosity influences protein reactions even in aqueous solutions. The data dan be interpreted by a dynamic model in which transitions into and inside myoglobin are governed by fluctuations between conformational substates corresponding to closed and open pathways. Ligand motion thus is mainly controlled by gates and not by static potential barriers. Some characteristic parameters for the substates are determined, and they agree approximately with similar parameters found in Mossbauer experiments. As expected, the barrier parameters evaluated in the novel approach deviate markedly from the ones obtained by the conventional procedure. Comparison with model calculations or basic theories will be meaningful only with the new evaluation, and the method may be essential for many or possibly all biochemical reactions.

Calcium-induced exposure of a hydrophobic surface on calmodulin.

Abstract: Interactions between calmodulin (CaM) and several hydrophobic fluorescent probes were characterized in order to determine if CaM expresses hydrophobic binding sites in the presence of Ca2+. Several classes of fluorescent probes capable of sensing exposure of hydrophobic binding sites on proteins were found to bind to CaM, and these interactions were greatly enhanced by Ca2+. In the presence of Ca2+, the fluorescence intensity of 9-anthroylcholine (9AC) was increased 24-fold by CaM, with a shift in the fluorescence emission maximum from 514 to 486 nm. The fluorescence intensity of 8-anilino-1-naphthalenesulfonate (Ans) was enhanced 27-fold with an emission maximum shift from 540 to 488 nm in the presence of CaM and Ca2+. Similar results were obtained with the uncharged fluorescent ligand, N-phyenyl-1-naphthylamine. With all three fluorescent dyes, the fluorescence changes caused by CaM in the absence of Ca2+ were minor compared to those observed with CaM and Ca2+. Direct binding studies using equilibrium dialysis demonstrated that CaM can bind four to six molecules of 9AC or two to three molecules of Ans in a calcium-dependent manner. The effects of various amphiphilic compounds on the Ca2+-dependent complex formation between CaM and the Ca2+-sensitive phosphodiesterase or troponin I were investigated. Trifluoperazine (TFP) and 9AC inhibited CaM stimulation of the Ca2+-sensitive phosphodiesterase. The Ca2+-dependent binding of the phosphodiesterase to CaM-Sepharose was also inhibited by TFP, 9AC, and Ans. Furthermore, binding of CaM to troponin I-Sepharose was inhibited by these ligands. Consistent with these data was the observation that troponin I antagonized binding of 9AC to CaM. These data indicate that binding of Ca2+ to CaM results in exposure of a domain with considerable hydrophobic character, and binding of hydrophobic ligands to this domain antagonizes CaM-protein interactions. It is proposed that this hydrophobic domain may serve as the interface for the Ca2+-dependent binding of CaM to the phosphodiesterase or troponin I.

Quasielastic light-scattering studies of aqueous biliary lipid systems. Mixed micelle formation in bile salt-lecithin solutions.

Abstract: From measurements of the autocorrelation function and time-averaged intensity of light scattered from aqueous bile salt-lecithin solutions, we deduced the mean hydrodynamic radius (Rh), shape, and polydispersity of bile salt-lecithin mixed micelles as functions of bile salt species, lecithin to bile salt (L/BS) molar ratio, total lipid concentration (0.625-10 g/dL), temperature (20-60 degrees C), and NaCl concentration (0.15-0.6 M). Our data suggest that at low L/BS ratios (0 to approximately 0.6) simple bile salt micelles coexist in varying proportions with minimum-sized mixed micelles (Rh, 18-35 A). These solutions are highly polydisperse and display features dependent upon the particular bile salt species. At high L/BS ratios (greater than 0.6), only mixed micelles are present, and their sizes increase markedly (Rh, 20 leads to 300 A) with increases in L/BS ratio and appear to diverge as the lecithin-bile salt phase limit is approached. The shape of the mixed micelles as deduced from light-scattering measurements and confirmed by transmission electron microscopy is disklike. The radii of the disks, however, are not compatible with Small's model of mixed micellar structure [Small, D.M. (1967a) Gastroenterology 52, 607-a1 but are consistent with a new model proposed here in which bile salts and lecithin interact to form a mixed bilayer disk which is surrounded on its perimeter by bile salts. The inclusion of bile salts in a fixed stoichiometry within the interior of the bilayers is shown to provide a quantitative explanation for the divergence of the mixed micellar sizes, their temperature dependence, and the origin of the lecithin-bile salt phase limit. The influence of total lipid concentration on both mixed micellar size and the lecithin-bile salt phase limit is explained by the "mixed disk" model by taking account of the equilibrium between mixed micelles and bile salt monomers in the intermicellar solution. By use of this concept, deductions of the intermicellar bile salt concentration in taurocholate-lecithin solutions are made and are shown to vary as a function of mixed micellar size and temperature. The range of values obtained, 3-6 mM, is comparable in magnitude to the critical micellar concentration of the pure bile salt.

Preparation and properties of bovine factor VIII (antihemophilic factor)

Abstract: Factor VIII has been purified approximately 300000-fold from bovine plasma by ammonium sulfate fractionation, glycine precipitation, DEAE-Sephadex column chromatography, sulfate--Sepharose column chromatography, Sephadex G-200 gel filtration, and factor X--Sepharose column chromatography. The highly purified preparation migrated as a triplet on sodium dodecyl sulfate/urea--polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis with apparent molecular weights of 93000, 88000, and 85000. The coagulant activity of the purified preparations was inhibited by antibodies raised in rabbits against either the purified factor VIII protein or a preparation of factor VIII/von Willebrand factor. Antibodies to the purified protein also inhibited the coagulant activity of factor VIII/von Willebrand factor preparations. The purified factor VIII contained no platelet-aggregating activity, as measured in human platelet-rich plasma. The purified preparation of factor VIII was required for the activation of factor X in the presence of factor IXa, calcium, and phospholipid. It was activated about 30-fold by thrombin or factor Xa plus calcium and phospholipid, and each of these reactions was accompanied by a change in the sodium dodecyl sulfate/urea--polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis pattern of the protein. Factor VIII was rapidly inactivated by bovine-activated protein C in a reaction requiring calcium and phospholipid. This reaction was also associated with a change in the sodium dodecyl sulfate/urea--polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis pattern of the highly purified protein. These experiments involving three highly specific serine proteases support the conclusion that the triplet observed on polyacrylamide gels is factor VIII.

Studies on the mechanism of membrane fusion: kinetics of calcium ion induced fusion of phosphatidylserine vesicles followed by a new assay for mixing of aqueous vesicle contents.

Abstract: We describe an assay for following the mixing of aqueous contents during fusion of phospholipid vesicles. Terbium is encapsulated as the Tb(citrate)3(6-) chelation complex in one population of vesicles, dipicolinic acid (DPA) in another. Vesicle fusion results in the formation of the fluorescent Tb(DPA)3(3-) chelation complex. The presence of EDTA (0.1 mM) and Ca2+ (greater than 1 mM) prevents the formation of the Tb/DPA complex in the external medium. We have studied the Ca2+-induced fusion of small or large unilamellar vesicles (SUV or LUV, respectively) composed of phosphatidylserine (PS). In addition, vesicle aggregation was monitored by light scattering, and release of vesicle contents was followed by carboxyfluorescein (CF) fluorescence enhancement. The addition of Ca2+ induced an immediate enhancement in Tb fluorescence with both SUV and LUV, which occurs on the same time scale as aggregation but much faster than the release of CF. The release of contents from LUV occurs with a considerable delay. It is estimated that the initial fusion of SUV is accompanied by 10% leakage of the internal volume per fusion event; in contrast, fusion of LUV is essentially nonleaky. Massive release of vesicle contents appears to be a secondary phenomenon related to the collapse of fused vesicles. The initial rate and the extent of Tb fluorescence enhancement are markedly dependent on the Ca2+ concentration. Threshold Ca2+ concentrations are 1.2 and 2.4 mM for SUV nd LUV, respectively. At saturating Ca2+ concentrations (greater than 10 mM), the rate of fusion of LUV is slightly lower than that of SUV at the same vesicle concentration. At any Ca2+ concentration, the rates of both SUV and LUV fusion are consistent with vesicle aggregation being rate limiting. When measured at a subsaturating Ca2+ concentration, fusion is essentially second order over a wide range of relatively low vesicle concentrations, whereas at higher vesicle concentrations the order is decreased. This suggests that at high vesicle concentrations (and at relatively low Ca2+ concentrations) aggregation may proceed faster than fusion.

Positive cooperative binding of calcium to bovine brain calmodulin.

Abstract: Equilibrium dialysis measurements of the binding of Ca2+ to calmodulin have confirmed the existence of four high affinity Ca2+-binding sites (Kd between 3 X 10(-6) and 2 X 10(-5) M). In the presence of 3 mM Mg2+, the dissociation constants for Ca2+ are increased two- to fourfold (Kd between 5 X 10(-6) and 4 X 10(-5) M). Positive cooperativity of Ca2+ binding was observed at low Ca2+ concentrations with Hill coefficients of 1.33 and 1.22 in the absence and presence of 3 mM Mg2+, respectively. The positive cooperativity is compatible with the steepness of the Ca2+ dependence of the conformational transition associated with the binding of 2 mol of Ca2+/mol of calmodulin. This conformational change, which affects the environment of the aromatic residues of calmodulin as measured by UV absorption and near-UV circular dichroism spectroscopy, is not the result of a monomer-dimer equilibrium mediated by Ca2+. Binding of Ca2+ to calmodulin is believed to occur by a sequential mechanism generating at least four different conformers of the protein and its free and liganded states. Even though the major conformational change is almost complete upon binding of 2 mol of Ca2+/mol of calmodulin, the activation of cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterase measured in the presence of limiting concentrations of calmodulin suggests that a calmodulin Ca3-42+ complex is required for interaction of calmodulin with the enzyme. As expected, on the basis of the strong affinity of the enzyme for the calmodulin x Ca2+ complex (Kd = 1-3 X 10(-9) M), the Ca2+ dependence of phosphodiesterase activation is highly cooperative and leads to a sharp threshold of Ca2+ concentration for control of enzyme activity.

Activation of skeletal muscle myosin light chain kinase by calcium(2+) and calmodulin.

Abstract: Many biological processes are now known to be regulated by Ca2+ via calmodulin (CM). Although a general mechanistic model by which Ca2+ and calmodulin modulate many of these activities has been proposed, an accurate quantitative model is not available. A detailed analysis of skeletal muscle myosin light chain kinase activation was undertaken in order to determine the stoichiometries and equilibrium constants of Ca2+, calmodulin, and enzyme catalytic subunit in the activation process. The analysis indicates that activation is a sequential, fully reversible process requiring both Ca2+ and calmodulin. The first step of the activation process appears to require binding of Ca2+ to all four divalent metal binding sites on calmodulin for form the complex, Ca42+-calmodulin. This complex then interacts with the inactive catalytic subunit of the enzyme to form the active holoenzyme complex, Ca42+-calmodulin-enzyme. Formation of the holoenzyme follows simply hyperbolic kinetics, indicating 1:1 stoichiometry of Ca42+-calmodulin to catalytic subunit. The rate equation derived from the mechanistic model was used to determine the values of KCa2+ and KCM, the intrinsic activation constants for each step of the activation process. KCa2+ and KCM were found to have values of 10 microM and 0.86 nM, respectively, at 10 mM Mg2+. The rate equation using these equilibrium constants accurately predicts the extent of enzyme activation over a wide range of Ca2+ and calmodulin concentrations. The kinetic model and analytical techniques employed herein may be generally applicable to other enzymes with similar regulatory schemes.

Alkyl glycoside detergents: a simpler synthesis and their effects on kinetic and physical properties of cytochrome c oxidase.

Abstract: Octyl glucoside is an effective, nonionic, solubilizing agent for membrane proteins with the advantage of ease of removal by dialysis. In order to study the detergent-sensitive activity of cytochrome c oxidase, we chose this detergent because of its simple structure and the possibility of synthesizing analogues to test the structural dependence of the detergent specificity. A procedure was therefore developed that facilitates large-scale preparation of octyl glucoside and related alkyl glycosides, improving on previous methods by eliminating crystallization steps and employing a one-step purification of the final product on Dowex 1. This new purification procedure is particularly important for achieving the level of purity required to obtain the disaccharide, longer alkyl chain detergents in soluble form. Of the alkyl glycosides prepared (octyl beta-D-glucopyranoside, octyl beta-D-lactopyranoside, dodecyl beta-D-lactopyranoside, dodecyl beta-D-cellobiopyranoside, and dodecyl beta-D-maltopyranoside), lauryl (dodecyl) maltoside was found to be the most successful as an activator of purified beef and Neurospora cytochrome oxidase, giving two- to tenfold higher activities than octyl glucoside and other commercially available detergents, Tween-20 and Triton X-100. Kinetic studies using two different steady-state assay systems indicate that the activity changes are not the result of altered binding of the substrate but rather reflect a detergent effect on the state of association of the enzyme (as a monomer, dimer, or polymer) as well as on its intrinsic activity. By gel filtration procedures, lauryl maltoside and octyl glucoside were found to exist as monodisperse populations of micelles of 50 000 and 8000 daltons, respectively. The small uniform micelles and chemically well-defined structures of lauryl maltoside and octyl glucoside make them superior to other nonionic detergents for the study of membrane proteins in general and cytochrome oxidase in particular, since its activity in lauryl maltoside most closely approaches that of the physiological state.

Acanthamoeba profilin interacts with G-actin to increase the rate of exchange of actin-bound adenosine 5'-triphosphate

Abstract: A sevenfold molar excess of Acanthamoeba profilin, a 12 000-dalton protein that inhibits actin polymerization, increases the rate of exchange of ATP bound to G-actin with ATP in solution about 17-fold, i.e., from 7.7 x 10(-4) to 1.3 x 10(-2) S-1, at 25 degrees C, 0.033 mM Ca2+, and 0.1 mM ATP, pH 7.5. Detailed analysis of the equilibrium isotope-exchange data shows that profilin and actin form a 1:1 complex with KD = 4.7 x 10(-5) M and that the binding of profilin to actin is rapid and reversible. The actin-profilin complex binds 1 mol of ATP/mol, as does G-actin. Profilin does not interact with ATP or Ca2+.

Cycling of ribonucleic acid polymerase to produce oligonucleotides during initiation in vitro at the lac UV5 promoter.

Abstract: High-resolution gel electrophoresis has been used to detect and quantitate promoter-specific oligonucleotides produced during initiation of transcription in vitro at the lactose operon (lac) UV5 promoter The resolved products are RNA species of various lengths which correspond to the initial lac mRNA sequence Quantitation shows that many oligonucleotides can be formed per preinitiation complex, including species as long as hexanucleotide Synthesis occurs without dissociation of the enzyme, as evidenced by levels of synthesis in the presence of heparin, a selective inhibitor of free RNA polymerase Thus, RNA polymerase cycles at this promoter in vitro producing oligonucleotides reiteratively In general, the yield of oligonucleotides decreases when the total concentration of all four substrates is increased or when a missing nucleoside triphosphate substrate is added Nevertheless, oligonucleotide synthesis persists under all conditions tested Strikingly, the dinucleotide always represents 50% of the total of all oligonucleotides, even when conditions are manipulated to cause a 100-fold variation in this total This shows that, after formation of the first phosphodiester bond at the lac UV5 promoter, dissociation of the dinucleotide is as likely as formation of the second phosphodiester bond As discussed above, after release of a small RNA, RNA polymerase may then begin another RNA chain, which is again subject to premature release These considerations lead to a model in which RNA polymerase cycles to produce oligonucleotides during initiation of transcription at the lac UV5 promoter in vitro Production of a long RNA transcript is then essentially an escape from this cycling reaction The drug rifampicin, which drastically inhibits escape to produce RNA, limits, but dose not prevent, the cycling reaction

Histone 2A, a heteromorphous family of eight protein species

Abstract: The histone 2A faily of proteins is shown to consist of eight protein species. In addition to the previously described mammalian 2A variants H2A.1 and H2A.2, we describe two variants which are separable from each other and from variants 1 and 2 on both sodium dodecyl sulfate and acetic acid-urea gels. These two proteins H2A.X and H2A.Z are termed heteromorphous variants to distinguish them from the predominating form and its homeomorphous variants which require nonionic detergents for their resolution. The two heteromorphous variants are present in nucleosomal core particles isolated from mouse L1210 cells. In addition, these variants are found in normal mouse tissues, human HeLa cells, and chicken erythrocytes. On sodium dodecyl sulfate gels, one variant, H2A.X, has an apparent molecular weight approximately 1000 larger than H2A.1 and comprises approximately 11% of the total 2A in mouse L1210 cells. The second variant, H2A.Z, has an apparent molecular weight approximately 600 smaller than H2A.1 and comprises approximately 4% of the total 2A in mouse L1210 cells. The two heteromorphous variants have the same arginine/lysine ratio as H2A.1. In addition, a fraction of each of the four variants (approximately 11% in L1210 cells) is combined with ubiquitin. The molar sum of these eight H2A species approximately equals the number of moles of H4, H2B, or H3 in chromatin.

Methylation of Histidine-48 in Pancreatic Phospholipase A2: Role of Histidine and Calcium Ion in the Catalytic Mechanism

Abstract: It is known that His-48 is part of the active center in pancreatic phospholipase. To further elucidate the role of histidine-48 in the active center of pancreatic phospholipase A2, we have modified the enzyme with a number of bromo ketones and methyl benzenesulfonates. Rapid methylation occurred with methyl p-nitrobenzenesulfonate. Methylated phospholipase shows total loss of enzymatic activity whereas binding of substrate and the cofactor Ca2+ remains intact. Amino acid analysis of methylated equine phospholipase showed the loss of the single molecule of histidine and the formation of one molecule of 2-amino-3-(1-methyl-5-imidazolyl)propanoic acid (1-methylhistidine). Equine phospholipase was also modified by [13C]methyl p-nitrobenzenesulfonate and the methylated enzyme was studied by 13C NMR. The results indicate that the proton on the nitrogen in position 3 of the imidazole ring is involved in a strong interaction with a buried carboxylate group, thereby hindering rotation of the imidazole ring, and that the nitrogen in position 1 is involved in catalysis. These data are in full agreement with the three-dimensional structure at 1.7-A resolution of bovine pancreatic phospholipase. A catalytic mechanism is proposed in which a water molecule which is close to the nitrogen at position 1 of the imidazole ring of the Asp-99-His-48 couple acts as the nucleophile. A comparison is made between phospholipase A2 and the serine esterases.

Interaction of ribulosebisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase with transition-state analogues.

Abstract: 2-C-Carboxy-D-ribitol 1,5-bisphosphate and 2-C-carboxy-D-arabinitol 1,5-bisphosphate have been synthesized, purified, and characterized. In the presence of Mg2+, 2-C-carboxy-D-arabinitol 1,5-bisphosphate binds to ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase by a two-step mechanism. The first, rapid step is similar to the binding of ribulose 1,5-bisphosphate or its structural analogues. The second step is a slower process (k = 0.04 s-1) and accounts for the tighter binding of 2-C-carboxy-D-arabinitol 1,5-bisphosphate (Kd less than or approximately to 10(-11) M) than of 2-C-carboxy-D-ribitol 1,5-bisphosphate (Kd = 1.5 X 10(6) M). Both carboxypentitol bisphosphates exhibit competitive inhibition with respect to ribulose 1,5-bisphosphate. 2-C-(Hydroxymethyl)-D-ribitol 1,5-bisphosphate and 2-C-(hydroxymethyl)-D-arabinitol 1,5-bisphosphate were also synthesized; both are competitive inhibitors with respect to ribulose 1,5-bisphosphate with Ki = 8.0 X 10(-5) M and Ki = 5.0 X 10(-6) M, respectively. Thus, the carboxyl group of 2-C-carboxy-D-arabinitol 1,5-bisphosphate is necessary for maximal interaction with the enzyme. Additionally, Mg2+ is essential for the tight binding of 2-C-carboxy-D-arabinitol 1,5-bisophsphate. A model for catalysis of ribulose 1,5-bisphosphate carboxylation is discussed which includes a functional role for Mg2+ in the stabilization of the intermediate 2-C-carboxy-3-keto-D-arabinitol 1,5-bisphosphate. Mechanistic implications that arise from the stereochemistry of this intermediate are also discussed.

Isolation, physicochemical properties, and macromolecular composition of zona pellucida from porcine oocytes.

Abstract: Oocytes released en masse from pig ovaries were isolated in large quantities by using sieving techniques. The isolated oocytes were gently homogenized, and the largely intact zona pellucida "ghosts" were purified by using sieving techniques. Sufficient amounts of zonae were recovered to permit, for the first time, adequate characterization of the zona pellucida in chemical, physical, and macromolecular terms. The isolated zonae were greater than 93% pure as determined by chemical, enzymatic, and microscopic criteria. The zonae were completely solubilized by a variety of conditions that do not break covalent bonds. The extent of solubilization was a function of pH, ionic strength, temperature, and the presence of various solubilizing agents such as detergents and urea. Chemically, the zonae were composed predominantly of protein (71%) and carbohydrate (19%). After acid hydrolysis of the zonae, no unusual amounts or types of amino acids were detected. The monosaccharides present after hydrolysis were those typically found in animal glycoproteins (Fuc, Man, Gal, GalNAc, and GlcNAc). Sialic acid in glycosidic linkage and sulfate and phosphate esters were present and were considered to be true constituents of the zona pellucida. Other substances detected, but considered contaminants rather than true constituents, included fatty acids (esterified and free) and uronic acids. The binding by several fluorescein-conjugated plant lectins to the in situ zona pellucida was determined by using light microscopy. The binding of the lectins to the zona pellucida was not uniform, indicating that the carbohydrate moieties of the zona pellucida were asymmetrically distributed. The zona pellucida was composed of at least three macromolecules as indicated by immunodiffusion and sodium dodecyl sulfate gel electrophoresis experiments. Determination of the number of macromolecules composing the zona pellucida was compromised by the aggregation and/or microheterogeneity of its constituent macromolecules. We conclude that the zona pellucida is composed of several glycoprotein macromolecules; interaction of these macromolecules to form supramolecular complexes and the integral zona pellucida is dependent on noncovalent forces.

Fragmin: a calcium ion sensitive regulatory factor on the formation of actin filaments.

Abstract: Physarum actinin previously isolated [Hatano, S., & Owaribe, K. (1976) in Cell Motility (Goldman, R., Pollard, T., & Rosenbaum, J., Eds.) Vol. 3, Book B, p 499, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Cold Spring Harbor, NY] was found to be a 1:1 complex of actin and fragmin which is a regulatory factor in the formation of actin filaments. Since fragmin did not contain a cysteine residue, it was purified from the complex by the selective cleavage of actin with 2-nitro-5-thiocyanobenzoic acid, followed by column chromatography. Fragmin had nearly the same molecular weight as actin, but had a quite different amino acid composition. When added to G-actin before polymerization, fragmin accelerated the initial viscosity increase of actin solutions induced by salts, but kept the final viscosity much lower than normal F-actin. When added to F-actin after polymerization, fragmin drastically reduced the viscosity of actin solutions. In both cases, the final products of reaction of fragmin with actin were short F-actin filaments. The number average length of the filaments decreased with the increasing molar ratio of fragmin to actin, and the length distribution was always exponential. Fragmin required for its activity a concentration of free Ca2+ higher than 10(-6) M. When the concentration of free Ca2+ was lower than 10(-7) M, fragmin affected neither actin polymerization nor F-actin. The regulation by Ca2+ was reversible.

Characterization of the pretransition in 1,2-dipalmitoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy.

Abstract: Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy has been used to study the infrared-active acyl chain vibrational modes of fully hydrated multibilayers of 1,2-dipalmitoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (L-DPPC) over the temperature range 0-55 degrees C. Frequencies, bandwidths, and other spectral parameters were measured as a function of temperature for the methylene scissoring, rocking, and wagging modes, as well as for the C-H stretching modes, and they were used to monitor the packing of the acyl chains. Particular emphasis was placed on determining the nature of the pretransition event. It is shown that between 36 and 38 degrees C the spectral changes are indicative of a phase change in the acyl chain packing from an orthorhombid to a hexagonal subcell. It is also concluded that in the gel phase, at all temperatures below the main transition, the acyl chains are predominantly in all-trans conformations and that the temperature-dependent variations of spectral parameters result from changes in interchain interactions.

Purification of somatomedin-C from human plasma: chemical and biological properties, partial sequence analysis, and relationship to other somatomedins

Abstract: Somatomedin-C (SM-C) was purified from Cohn fraction IV of human plasma by a series of steps which included cation-exchange chromatography, gel filtration, isoelectric focusing, and reverse-phase high-pressure liquid chromatography. The peptide isolated contained 10,142 units/mg, as judged by a radioimmunoassay, representing a 780,000-fold purification from native plasma. The isolated peptide was basic (pI 8.1-8.5) and was judged to be no less than 90% pure. The best fit for integral amino acids was obtained with 78 residues. Limited sequence data were obtained on the N terminus and on five fragments obtained by tryptic digestion after blocking the lysine residues. Three of these fragments and the N terminus could be aligned with portions of insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I). Of the 25 residues so aligned, 22 were identical with IGF-I. In addition, two tryptic fragments were obtained which are not present in the sequence of IGF-I. SM-C and IGF-I produced identical curves of displacement in radioimmunoassay and radioreceptor assays for SM-C and in an insulin radioreceptor assay. The potencies of SM-C and IGF-I in these assays differed significantly from IGF-II, somatomedin-A, and several preparations of multiplication stimulating activity. At a concentration of 1 ng/mL, SM-C stimulated the progression of Balb/c 3T3 cells into DNA synthesis and when injected in vivo restored mitosis in lens epithelium of hypophysectomized frogs.

Role of phosphatidylinositol in attachment of alkaline phosphatase to membranes.

Abstract: The mechanism of release of alkaline phosphatase from membranes by phosphatidylinositol-specific phospholipase C from Staphylococcus aureus was studied. Alkaline phosphatase was readily released from pig kidney microsomes by phospholipase C but not by a variety of other treatments, e.g., high ionic strength, extremes of pH, divalent cations, chelating agents, or analogues of the polar head group of phosphatidylinositol. Alkaline phosphatase released from microsomes by phospholipase C did not bind to phospholipid vesicles containing phosphatidylinositol. Alkaline phosphatase solubilized from microsomes by butanol extraction, however, was able to bind phospholipid vesicles even when they contained no phosphatidylinositol. The ability of butanol-extracted alkaline phosphatase to bind to phospholipid vesicles was destroyed by added phosphatidylinositol-specific phospholipase C. Hydrolysis of added phosphatidylinositol by endogenous phospholipase activity in butanol extracts was also accompanied by loss of binding ability. Loss of binding ability was paralleled by a decrease in the apparent molecular weight of alkaline phosphatase. These results indicate that alkaline phosphatase is attached to membranes by a strong interaction with phosphatidylinositol.

Reactions of nitric oxide with cytochrome c oxidase.

Abstract: The reactions of nitric oxide (NO) with both oxidized and reduced cytochrome c oxidase are reported. NMR and mass spectroscopy were utilized to determine the products of the reactions; EPR and optical spectroscopy were employed to determine the states of the enzyme produced in each of these reactions. It was found that the enzyme catalyzes the consecutive oxidation and reduction of NO. A different cycle was observed when NO was added to the reduced enzyme, to the oxidized enzyme, or to the oxidized enzyme in the presence of azide. It was possible to observe the state of the enzyme at several points in each of these three cycles by varying the concentration of NO. The reactions of NO all involved a one- or two-electron redox step and could be accounted for by the involvement of only cytochrome a3 and Cua3. On the basis of these results, a mechanism for the reduction of dioxygen by the enzyme is proposed in which cytochrome a3 functions to anchor dioxygen and intermediates while remaining in the ferrous state, whereas Cua3 functions to accept electroins from cytochrome a/Cua and transfer them to dioxygen.

Inhibition of microtubule assembly by phosphorylation of microtubule-associated proteins.

Abstract: 32P labeling of microtubular protein by endogenous protein kinase activity is shown to result from a net increase in protein-bound phosphate and is not the result of a phosphate exchange reaction between ATP and phosphoprotein. Protein phosphorylation is maximal in the presence of 0.5 mM Mg2+ and 0.25 mM ATP, resulting in approximately 2.8 nmol of phosphate/mg of protein. However, phosphorylation can be increased two-to threefold by cAMP. The protein substrates for phosphorylation either the absence or presence of cAMP are the microtubule-associated proteins which copurify with tubulin and promote microtubule assembly. Phosphorylation of microtubule-associated proteins inhibits both the rate and extent of microtubule assembly when the protein is exposed to conditions which result in dissociation of rings. These results are taken to indicate that phosphorylation modifies MAPs so that they have a reduced ability to form an assembly-competent complex with tubulin.